FAA Concludes SpaceX's Second Starship Test Investigation, Requiring Corrective Actions Before Future Launches

Following the fiery test of SpaceX's Starship, FAA has concluded its investigation into the incident. The examination involved scrutinizing the circumstances surrounding SpaceX's second test launch of the Starship spacecraft, which ended in a dramatic explosion.

(Photo : PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Workers in a lift (R) prepare the SpaceX Starship after sunset ahead of its scheduled launch from the SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas on April 18, 2023.

Completing Investigation into SpaceX's Starship

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has wrapped up its examination of SpaceX's second Starship test launch, announcing that it has accepted the "root causes and 17 corrective actions" identified by the company.

Although this marks the conclusion of the investigation, TechCrunch reported that SpaceX is required to implement all corrective measures and seek a modified launch license before resuming Starship flights.

FAA stated that it is currently assessing SpaceX's license modification request and expects the company to provide additional necessary information before a final decision is reached.

SpaceX's second orbital flight test of the towering Starship rocket in November surpassed the initial test by a significant margin: all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster successfully ignited, and there were no engine failures during the nearly three-minute ascent burn.

Additionally, the company executed a remarkably challenging "hot-stage separation" for the first time, where the Starship upper stage ignited to detach from the booster.

However, similar to the first test conducted last April, the flight ended in a fiery explosion mid-air. Whenever a rocket launch experiences significant issues during flight, the FAA initiates a "mishap investigation," as seen in this case.

Identifying Seven Changes

These investigations are led by the company and scrutinized by regulators, who must approve the analysis and ensure the implementation of corrective measures. Following the initial test, the FAA instructed SpaceX to carry out 63 corrective actions.

According to the FAA, the company has pinpointed a total of seven adjustments for the booster and ten for the Starship vehicle.

Among the seven booster corrective actions are redesigns of vehicle hardware to enhance tank filtration and minimize slosh, updated thrust vector control system modeling, reevaluation of engine analyses based on OFT-2 data, and updated engine control algorithms.

SpaceX shed light on several of these corrective measures in an unusual post-launch assessment, revealing that a probable cause of the booster's "rapid unscheduled disassembly," aerospace jargon for "explosion," was a blockage in one of the Raptor engines' filter.

This engine experienced an "energetic" failure, resulting in the complete loss of the booster. Approximately seven minutes into the flight, the Starship upper stage met its demise when a propellant leak sparked a fire, disrupting communication between the spacecraft's onboard computers.

Consequently, an engine shutdown ensued, triggering the autonomous flight termination system to terminate the vehicle. SpaceX indicated that some of these hardware modifications and design enhancements have already been incorporated into the versions of the vehicle slated for the third orbital flight test.

Elon Musk mentioned during a discussion on X that the mission could occur as early as the second week of March. SpaceX's objective is to carry out the entire mission protocol, which entails the Super Heavy booster conducting a "boost back burn" and executing a controlled landing in the Gulf of Mexico.